reaction to oils with eczema

[U. S. observer]

Hi

Would it be ok to blend essential oils with an emollient for the treatment of eczema? I recently had a male client who came to me for remedial massage as he suffered from headaches caused by very tense shoulders and neck. When he arrived I discoved that he had quite bad eczema around his neck and shoulders. I decided to treat this with almond oil and a low % of chamomile and bergamot. The affected areas went very red and I had to wash the oil off and it caused severe itching. This leads me to think that perhaps I should avoid essentil oils or was it the almond oil? Do you think that I should just get an emollient and use that?

You comments would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks

 

[damnyankeega]

Hi Moon Bird,
Ive found with eczema that the clients tend to be allergic to quite a few things.
So Perhaps try doing a patch test before treatment?

Good luck
Rachel

 

[liteInogginef]

Hiya

I'd agree about doing a skin test, but there are other lubricants you might want to use besides oil: talc or cornflour for example. I have a massage wax which an aromatherapist friend of mine recommends, she buys it in bulk from Australia. But I'd want to do a skin test on that before starting.

 

[LillianaKay]

Hi Moonbird,

Just checked my course study notes and it states that Apricot Kernel oil can alleviate Eczema.
As mentioned in a previous post people who suffer from Eczema might suffer from a lot of allergies. Maybe your client has a nut allergy, hence, reacted to the almond oil?

love
Zimba

 

[Fistas R]

Hi

Thanks for all your suggestions. I did check with the client before treatment about allergies etc and apart from milk he had none. I also referred to my reference book and confirmed, before using them, that almond oil and the essential oils used were beneficial for his skin condition. I agree that I should have done a skin test. A valuable lesson!

regards

Susan